World beaters?

World and Olympic champion Lin Dan will lead China's men's team as badminton's elite will look to gain a mental edge before the Olympics in the highly charged atmosphere of the Thomas and Uber Cups world team championships in China next week. China will be the favorite for both the men's and women's titles in Wuhan, but rivals will be queuing up to give them a bloody nose before they enter the biggest stage of all in July.  [Photo/Agencies]

China's badminton teams will try to set tone for Olympics at Thomas and Uber Cup finals, Sun Xiaochen reports.

Can China beat the world? The badminton team will try at the 2012 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, which will be staged in Wuhan, Hubei province from May 20-27. Rivals to Watch Facts

Facing tough challenges from rivals Indonesia and Korea and new forces Japan and Britain, China will need strong outings to defend its Thomas title (the men's world team championship) and regain the Uber Cup (the women's counterpart).

The sport's traditional powerhouse, China is aiming for a clean title sweep, but there is tremendous pressure to win the Olympic warm-up at home.

The team, which arrived in Wuhan on Monday, closed its training session to the media and banned players from taking interviews. The highly charged atmosphere was obvious.

Head coach Li Yongbo was aware of the tough road but remains ambitious.

"Our goal remains to beat the whole world," Li said at a pre-tournament briefing on Wednesday. "We had some good results and became the target to beat up in recent years. A group of countries have combined together and see defeating us as an honor. We have to get ready for all the threats."

China can't afford to falter in the biennial event.

"I don't know how the other teams did it," Li said of the gag order. "For basketball or soccer, they are good even if they qualify for something big (which makes it easier for them to open their practices). But we are different - even if we win the silver medal, the media will criticize us badly."

Twelve nations are split into groups of three, with the top two advancing to the knockout stages.

The tournament is contested as best-of-five singles and doubles matches in the pool stage, shifting to best-of-three in the knockout stages.

Men chasing fifth in a row

Only three nations have won the Thomas Cup since its 1948 inception: Malaysia, Indonesia and China. Those three are the top seeds this year, alongside South Korea and Denmark.

Placed in Group A with Indonesia and England, China will try to tie Indonesia's record five consecutive titles from 1994 to 2002.

That seems plausible with a team that includes Lin "Super" Dan, red-hot Chen Long and world No 1 doubles pair Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng.

On the way to its last title two years ago in Kuala Lumpur, China lost only one match. With world and Olympic champion Lin, and third-ranked Chen, the nation's supremacy could last after Lin's potential retirement following the Games.

World top singles seed Lee Chong-Wei from Malaysia and Korean world No 2 duo Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae will provide credible challenges, while Danish veteran Peter Gade is always keen to make a run at the long-dominant Lin.

Women's quest for salvation

In the women's field, China will fight for redemption after South Korea dramatically dethroned the six-time defending champions two years ago.

The host was drawn into Group A with Indonesia and South Africa.

China's three Wangs - Yihan, Xin, Shixian - who occupy the top three spots in the world rankings, will be looking to avenge the 3-1 final defeat and stake an early claim on Olympic glory.

However, the legacy of Korea's victory has proved that China's three Wangs are not invincible and it's no longer a huge surprise when it happens at the rackets of Germany's Juliane Schenk, Cheng Shao Chieh from Chinese Taipei or even India's world No 5 Saina Nehwal.

China's world champion shuttler Wang Yihan, currently No 1, will also try to hone her often-questioned mental toughness at the pre-Olympic event, as she at times lost easy games under pressure.

Contact the writer at sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn.

Wang Yihan, along with her fellow women, is expected to win back the Uber Cup, which China lost as South Korea dramatically dethroned the six-time defending champion two years ago. [Photo/Agencies]